Screw-cutting machine



0. SMITH. sGR'BWGU TING' MACHINE.

" Patented Sept 4, 1883.

E5 5 KM (1%? 4 \N l't W? STAT .PATENT OFFICE. Y

SAMUEL o. SMITELE or LOWELL, MASSACHUSETTS.

,SCREW-CUTITQING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATIONforming part of Letters Patent No. 284,501, dated September 4, 1883.

Lowell, in thecounty of Middl'esex and Oom-' monwealth bf Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Machinesifor OuttingScrews, of which the following is a specification.

same to said jaw, and forvarying the distance between the same and the gripping face of said j aw, and the wedge provided with a groove to allow of the ijaw being separated from the wedge by a pad of suitable thickness, so as to take in smaller rods; also, in the combination of the jaw provided with a slotted arm, the sliding piece provided with a pin, and the wedge. provided with a groove and a screw, that being the specific means of adjusting the distance between said jaw and wedge; also, in

the combination'of the jaws, the sleeve providedwith-the groove, the saddles, and the lever, and the tube provided with the collar, and wedges to close the jaws upon the rod; also, in the combination of the split shell and the sliding riug,.to regulate the grasping pressureof said shell; also, in the combination of the coupling-pin, the split shell, the sleeve,

and the tube provided with a slot, to enable the shell to be moved back and forth within the tubeby the motion of the sleeve; also, in the combination ofthe adjustable collar, the shell, the coupling-pin, and the sleeve, to regulate the amount of thefeed motion; also, in

the combinationof the spring-catch lever, Figure 1, the tube provided with the collar and wedges, and the jaws, to prevent the j aws from being opened while the screw is being cut; also, in the combination of the spring catch lever, Fig. 2, the tube provided with the collar and wedges, and the jaws, to prevent said jaws being closedby the friction of the sleeve andjshellon said tube; also, in the combination of thesleevegprovided with an annular projection beveledvin the rear, the catch -lever, Fig. 1, provided with a notch, and the tube provided with a collar, to release said collar from said lever; also, in the combination of the sleeve provided with'the annular proj ection beveled in front, the catch lever, Fig. 2, and thetube provided with the collar, to re- Application filed October 30, 1879.

lease'said collar from said last-named lever;

I thescrew is being cut, the position of said My invention consists in the combination of e the jaw, a pin, and nean'sfori connecting the collar depending on the thickness of said rod; also, in the combination of the wheel provided with a female screw-thread,ithe spindle provided with a male screw-thread, the catch-lever, Fig. 1, pivoted to said wheel, and the tube provided with the collar, that being the specific means of adjusting the position of said lever to the position of said collar; also, in the lever, Fig. 2, pivotedto said wheel, and the tube provided with the collar, that being the specific means of adjusting said lever 1ongitudinally to hold said collar back at diiferent points. I j

In the accompanying drawings, Fig. 1 is a horizontal central section of the pulleys, spinshowing also the other pair of catch-levers;

Fig. 8 is a longitudinal section of a part of the split shell and slidin ring. Fig. 4 is a side view of the jawand wedge with a pad bedle, tube, sleeve, shell, adjustable collar, handand wedge, alsothe piece which carries the .pin to hold the jaw against the wedge. Fig.

61s a front View of the chuck-case with the jaws. In the first four figures the front end is the light'end. i

Upon a suitable frame, A, are journahboxes B B, in which runs the hollow spindle 0; caused to revolve at different speeds by belts applied to the large pulley D or small pulley D, and preventedvfrom moving endwise by 9 a tween them. Fig. 5 is a larger front view of 1 I the position of the pulleys between the boxes, or by other suitable means. The spindle G carries a chuck-case, E, at its front end.

WVithin the spindle slides the tube F, provided with two wedges, F F, or inclined I planes, which have a parallel longitudinal motion in slots formed in the case E, the inner faces of said wedges being inclined outward and forward. g I

Between the wedges are two jaws, G G, whose inner faces are parallel, their outer faces having the same inclination as the inner faces of the wedges, so that the forward motion of the wedges closes the jaws together. Each jaw has on its inner face a longitudinal V-shaped groove, H, to grasp the square rod from which the screws are made, and also a pair of arms, J J J J, (one on each side of each jaw,) which extend outward through the case E, on opposite sides of the wedge nearest said, jaw and parallel to the face of the chuckcase E. Now, each wedge has a groove, K, cut in one side parallel to its inclined face, into which groove K enters a pin, L, from the arm J of the jaw next said wedge, so that when the tube- F is retracted, carrying the wedges back, the, jaws will be drawn apart and loosen their hold on the rod from which the screws are being made, so that if the tube F be caused to reciprocate in the direction of its length the jaws will. alternately open and close upon the stock, the jaws being prevented from moving forward by the face of the chuck E, screwed to the case E, and from moving backward by the arms J in the case E. The jaws, when nearest together, do not necessarily touch each other, so that to enable the jaws to grasp a smaller rod pads with parallel faces and of the requisite thickness may be placed between the wedges and the jaws, the ends of the pads being turned down over the ends of the jaws, to prevent the pads from sliding on the jaws, as in Fig. 4, inwhich M represents such a pad; or the pads may be prevented from moving by having cars which enter the slots in the arms J.

In order that the wedges and jaws may be separated by pads, it is necessary that the pins L should be adjustable on the arms J. This is efiected by attaching the pins L to pieces N, which slide in slots cut lengthwise in or through said arms J, so that the pins L project into the grooves of the wedges. The pins L are held at the proper distance from the jaws G G i 55 by screws 0 in the ends of .the arms J, which screws thrust 'upon the pins or the pieces to which said pins are attached. The tube F is given a forward motion in the following manner: The rear of the tube extends back of the spindle, (having a bearing in the frame A,) and said tube, back of the spindle C, is provided with a collar, P, (forged in one piece with or otherwise firmly secured to said'tube,) and still farther back with a screw-thread, upon which is screwed the nut or adjustable collar P.

Upon the tube F, between the two collars P and P, is placed the sleeve Q, which, being moved endwise, moves the tube forward and the tube may be varied by turning said adjustable collar P.

Inside of the tube F is a hollow shell, S S, which may bemade in two parts screwed together, the front part, S, being smaller and made of steel, and bushed or thickened within at its front end, and then split nearly its whole length. The part S is small enough to allow the ring S (the inner diameter of which is smaller than the outer diameter of .said part S) to pass freely between it and the tube F. The split shell is intended to grasp the rod or bar from which the screws are cut, and its grasping pressure is increased or diminished by sliding the ring S back or forward on said shell S S by hand, the sleeve being removed for that purpose. the sleeve (and therefore moves with the sleeve) by means of the pin T, which passes through a longitudinal slot, T, in the tube F.

It will be seen that (if the jaws be closed,

holding the rod) the sleeve can be pushed back with the shell, the shell slipping on the rod, until the sleeve strikes the collar P and opens the jaws, by drawing the tube F and wedges F F back, and that, the sleeve being then shoved forward, the shell will carry the rod forward through the open jaws until the sleeve strikes the collar P and again closes the jaws; hence, by giving a reciprocating motion to the sleeve, the rod is fed forward by the forward motion of the sleeve, and is held by the jaws while the sleeve is going back.

From the foregoing it appears that the distance to which the sleeve and shell can be drawn back without opening the jaws, or, what amounts to the same thing, the distance which the rod will be advanced at the next forward motion of the sleeve, depends on the position of the adjustable collar P on the tube F. Motion is given to the sleeve Q by a lever, U, pivoted to the frame, said lever being providedwith ayoke or opening, U, through which the sleeve is passed. Pins U on opposite sides of the lever U enter saddles or half-rings V, which ride in grooves cut in the sleeve Q, allowing the sleeve to revolve within the yoke of the lever. This lever is connected by a rod, U to anotherlever, U", also pivoted to the frame nearer to the front of the machine for the convenience of the operator. The rod U is provided with holes at one end, through any one of which it may be pivoted to the lever U, and at the other end is pivoted to thelever U by a pivot which slides in a slot in said lever U, and may be set at any required distance from the fulcrum of said last-named lever by a set-nut.

In-order that the tube F may not, by being jarred, move backward, and so loosen the jaws when the screws are being cut, a hand- The shell is connected to wheel, W, is screwed on the rear end of 1 the spindle 0,; andtothe hub of. this wheelW are pivoted one ormorecatch-levers, X, Fig. 1, eachprovided with a detent, X, to catchover the collar when the jaws are closed on the rod, the rear end of each lever being thrown against the sleeve by aspring, X.

In order. that the collar may be released from these levers X, the sleeve Qis provided with an annular projection, Q,which fits into a notch, -I, in eachof said levers X, u said projection Qbeing beveled on its rear side, so that when the sleeve is drawn back the lever X is lifted until the detent X rises. above the collar P. The inner side of the rear end of each of said levers X is "now parallel with the axis of the sleeve, and extends back so far that it rests on the projection Q and prevents the detents from catching the collar P, no matter how far back thesleeve is drawn.

There are one or more other catch-levers, Z Z, also pivoted to the hub of the wheel W, and forced by springs Z against the collar P. Each of these levers Z is provided with a catch, Z which drops in front ofsaid collar, (after the jaws are fopened, as above explained,) and prevents the tube F from being moved forward (and closing the jaws) by the friction of j the sleeve and shell on said tube while the rod is being fed forward until the sleevestrikes the collar P. Theselevers are disengaged from said collar P by the projection Q on the sleeve (said projection being beveled in front) striking between the rear ends of said levers and the tube F, said levers Z being also beveled on the inside at the rear.

The thickness of the-rod operated upon determines the amount of opening betweenathe closed jaws, so to speak, and therefore the distance to which the tube and its wedges can be crowded forward, so that on changing to heavier work it may be necessary to move back the levers X, in order that their detents may fall behind the collar P, instead of striking on the periphery of the same. On the other hand, on changing to lighter work, the detents of the levers X may fall too farbehind the collar P, and allow so much play between said collar and said detents that the leve'rsX would be ineffectual to preventthe opening ofthe jaws. So, also, the levers Z may be too far forward to prevent the jaws from closing on'a thick rod before the rodhas been fed forward suffici ently by the split shell. All thisis provided for by having the hub of the wheel WV (to which both kinds of catch levers are pivoted) screw-threaded on the inside and screwed onto the spindle C, so that by turning said wheel on said spindle all of said catch-levers are carried forward or'back to their proper places.

It is not intended that the collar should strike the hub of the wheel, but the collar is stopped by the resistance offered byithe jaws to the forward motion of the wedges. This enables the jaws to hold the rod notwithstanding slight variations in rods of nominally the same size; Thecollar P and the wheelW, respectively, are prevented from accidental turning on their screws by set-screws, which enter them radially and thrust against screwthreaded saddles placed on the tube F and spindle C, respectively. V

The rodis introduced to the machine through the rear end of the tube F and pushed forward until said rod projects in front of the open jaws, when the motion of the hand-lever will feed it forward, as may be required. When the spindle revolves, it carries with it the chuck-case containing the j aws and wedges, and therefore the tube and the sleeve and shell, connected with each other by the coupling-pin through a slot in the tube.

The tools for forming the screw are placed in a turret constructed as usual and operated in the usual manner.

I claim as my invention- 1. The combination of the jaw G, the pin L, and means for connecting the same to said jaw and for varying the distance between the same and the gripping-face of said jaw, and the wedge F, provided with a groove, K, as and for the purpose specified. V

2. The combination of the jaw G, provided with a slotted arm, J, the sliding piece N, provided with a pin, L, and the wedge F, provided with a groove, K, and the screw 0, as and for the purpose specified,

3. The combination of the jaws G G, the sleeve Q, provided with grooves, the saddles V, the lever U, and the tube F, provided with the collar P and wedges F" F, as and for the purpose specified.

4. The combination of the split shell S S and the sliding ring S, as and for the purpose specified. a l

5'. The combination of the coupling-pin T, the shell S S, the sleeve Q, and the tube F, provided with the slot T, as and for the purpose specified.

6. The combination of the adjustable collar P, the shell S S, the coupling-pin T, and the sleeve Q, as and for the purpose specified.

7. The combination of the spring catchlever X, the tube F,.provided with the collar P and wedges F F, and the jaws G G, as and for the purpose specified. w

8. The combination of the spring catch-le ver Z, the tube F, provided with the collar P and wedges F F, and the jaws G G, as and for the purpose specified.

9. The combination of the sleeve Q, provided with the annular projection Q, beveled in the rear, the catch-leverX, provided with the notch I, and the tube F, provided with the collar P, as and for the purpose specified.

10. The combination of the sleeve Q, provided with the annular projection Q, beveled in front, the catch-lever Z, and the tube F,- provided with thecollar P, as and for the purpose specified.

11. The combination of the catch-lever X,

IOC

means for supporting and adjusting the same 14. The combination of the wheel W, prolongitudinally, and the tube F, provided with vided with a female screw-thread, the spindle 15 the collar P, as and for the purpose specified. 1 O, provided with a male screw-thread, the .12; The combination of the Wheel W, procatch-lever Z, pivoted to said Wheel, and the 5 vided with a female screw-thread, the spindle? tube F, provided with the collar P, as and for 0, provided with a male screw-thread, the the purpose specified. V v catch-lever X, pivoted to said wheel, and the! tube'F, provided with the collar P, as and for SAMUEL C. SMITH. the purpose specified. E I

IO 13. The combination of the tube F, provided} Witnesses:

with the collar P, and the catch-lever Z, means L ALBERT M. MOORE, 'for supporting and adjusting the same longi- A. M. STURTEVAN'I.

tudinally, as and for the purpose specified. 

